Cap feeder



March 25, 1947. WQKRUEGER 2,417,938

CAP FEEDER Filed July 5, 1944 6 Sheets-Sheet l March 25, 194? w KRUEGER 2,417,938

CAP FEEDER Filed July 3. 1944 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Ma JCh 25, 1947, F. w. KRUEGER CAP FEEDER Filed July 3, 1944 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 March 25, 1947. F, w KRUEGER 2,417,938

CAP FEEDER Filed July 5, 1944 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 March 25, 1947. F. w. KRUEGER 2,417,938

CAP FEEDER 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed July 3, 1944 Patented Mar. 25, 1947 UNITED STATES CAP FEEDER Frank W. Krueger, Atherton,

Calif., assignor to Food Machinery Corporation, San Jose, Calii., a corporation of Delaware Application July 3, 1944, Serial No. 543,338

This invention relates to feeding devices and particularly to devices for feeding-fiat articles individually from a stack of such articles It is an object of my invention to provide a novel and efiicient means for feeding relatively flat articles from the bottom of a stack of these.

It is another object to provide such a, feeder in which a relatively tall stack of articles may be placed in the magazine without jamming the feeding mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a feeder adapted to feed closures for containers in which the application of the closure is done in an automatic machine and whichwill feed closures to said machine in timed relation with containers fed thereto but will omit the feeding of a closure to said machine whenever the feeding of a container thereto is omitted.

The manner of accomplishing th foregoing objects as well as further objects and advantages will be made manifest in the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of the invention incorporated with the jar capper disclosed in my co-pending application for U. S. Letters Patent, Serial No, 543,336, filed July 3, 1944, on Method of and apparatus for capping containers.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a vacuum valve of the invention and is taken on section line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the yieldable cap positioning finger of the invention and is taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 and showing the cap feeding prongs feeding a cap transversely from between the magazine thereof and the vacuum cup thereof.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 and illustrates the cap feeding prongs in retracted position and with the vacuum cup pressed against the lowermost cap in the magazine at the upper end of its stroke.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a horizontal the line (-1 of Fig.4. I

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 5 .and with the elements of the feed device positioned as in Fig. 5.

Fig. 9 is a view like Fig. 8 and illustrates the positions of the elements of the device at the moment the cup breaks vacuum with the lowermost cap in the magazine.

Fig. 10 is a vertical transverse sectional view sectional view taken on taken on the line |u |o of Fig. 7.

Referring specifically to the drawings and particularly to Figs. 1, 4,

5, 7 and 10, my invention d claims. (Cl. 226 881) is there shown as embodied in a cap feeder I? which is incorporated with and serves to feed caps to a rotary jar capper 13.

The capper l3 includes a cappingrotor l4 having capped heads i5 equipped with cap chucks i 6. The rotor l4 rotates in the direction of arrow I! so as to cause the heads IE to sweep over a cap transfer disc [8 having cap indexing pins I9. The disc I8 is mounted on a vertical shaft which rotates in timely relation with the rotor It so as to present a cap 2| beneath each of the capping heads l5 just as the cap chuck 16 thereof moves downwardly in vertical alignment with this cap. The chuck picks up this cap and retains it in this head as the latter moves away from over the disc l8.

The disc 3 has a flange 23 lying flat against the upper face of the disc l8 and secured thereto. The shaft 20 journals in a bearing 25 to which is attached a cover plate 28 which overlies the disc l8 and supports a downward extendin arcuate guard 29 spaced concentrically from the flange 23 so as to just allow a cap 2| to pass therebetween. Secured to the lower end of a pin 35 which is pivotally mounted in a boss 36 provided on the cover plat 28 is an arm 31 which is yieldably rotated by a spring 38 coiled about the pin 35 to position each cap 2| uniformly inwardly against the flange 23 and against a following pin l9 as these caps are carried with the disc H3. The arm 31 has a lug 42 carrying an adjustable stop screw 43 which bears against the cover plate 28 to limit the inward position of the arm The jar capper l3 has a jar feeding device 44 including tracks 45 and side rails 46 for holding jars 41 on the tracks, the latter being spaced to accommodate a conveyor chain 48 having upstanding, spaced lugs 49 for propelling jars 41 along tracks 45. The chain 48 is trained about the rotor a certain one of the" capping heads l5 as this lug travels toward the rotor M.

A suitable means (not shown) is preferably employed for automatically placing jars 4'! in the spaces ahead of the respective lugs 49. This means is not infallible, however, and occasionally a jar is lacking in a space immediately ahead 50 of one of the lugs as this arrives at the rotor l4.

Pivotally mounted on a vertical bolt 50 provided on the jar capper frame 21 is a jar responsive arm 5| having a short arm 52 extending therefrom towards the jar feeder 44. Also provided on the capper frame 21 is a stop pin 53 which limits the inward swinging of the jar responsive arm 5|.

The cap feeder l2 performs the function of so feeding caps 2! onto the transfer disc I 8 so that l4 and is so timed in relation therea with that each-lug 49 feeds a jar 41 beneath they will be delivered by the latter to each of the capping heads '5 w ich in turn apply these caps to the jars 41 delivered to the rotor I4 by the iar feeder 44. The can feeder has a housi 58 which is mounted on the camper frame 21. This hous ng in ludes a gear box 51 and a cam box 58.. Extend ng upwardlv into the gear box and .iournaling in a bearing 59 therein, is a sha t 68 havin a sprocket 8i thereon. This shaft is rotated by a chain 82 trained about the sprocket 8|, this chain being 'ooera ivelv connected by suitable means (not shown) with the feed conveyor chain 48 so as to drive the cap feeder I2 in timed relation with the cancer I3. Fixed on the upper end or the shaft 88 is a spiral gear 83 which meshes with a mating spiral gear 64 on a horizontal shaft 65 journaled in a bearin 88 sprocket 81.

Journaled in bearin s III a d H in the cam box 58 is a cam shaft 12. F'xed on the shaft 12 is a cylindrical cam 13 and a sprocket p nion 14, the latter being connected to the sprocket 61 by silent chain 15 trained thereabout. Provided in the gear box 51 is an idler 16 which bears against the chain 15 and keeps this taut. Formed in the cylindrical surface of the cam 13 is a cam groove 18.

Formed internally in the cam box 58 is a boss 19 having a vertical bore 88 therein with a counterbore, Si in its upper end. Secured in place in the bore as by screws 82 is a bushing 88. Extending through the boss 19 and the bushing 83 is a vacuum duct 84 and a vacuum release passage 85. Vertically slidable within the bushing 83 is a tubular vacuum cup plunger 88, the lower end of which is internally threaded to receive a cap screw 81 which secures a pin block 88 to the lower end of the plunger 88. Formed on this block is a crank pin 89 which is connected by a crank 98 with an eccentric 9I fixed on the adjacent end of the shaft 12.

The plunger 88 has a port 95 controlling the formation and releasing of vacuum within the plunger. The upper end of the plunger is internally threaded to receive a threaded sleeve 98 in which is mounted a vacuum cup unit 91. This unit includes a flanged hollow stem 98 which is slidable in the sleeve 96. A flanged collar 98 rests on top of the stem 88 and a cap screw I80 extends downwardly through this collar and is screwed into the threaded upper end of stem 98 so as to centrally grip and support a vacuum cup- IOI at the upper end of the unit 91. Disposed within the cup plunger 88 is an expansion spring I02 which yieldably holds the unit 91 in its upwardmost position in the sleeve 95 as shown in Fig.4.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4; a vacuum control valve H8 is provided having a bore III in which a plunger H2 is slidable, this plunger having a stern H3 and, a spring H4 is coiled about the stem between the plunger H2 and an internal shoulder II5 formed at one end of the valve H8. The plunger II2 has an annular pasin the gear box 51 so as to rotate a H8 and shuts on the connection between vacuum lines Ill and H8. When a jar 41 is opposite the arm 5i, however, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, this arm is swung to pull the plunger II2 into the position in which it is shown in crank BI and bearing 18 is lifter guide plate I88 which is held in place by screws I3I, the latter being received suitable threaded holes formed in the slide flanges I21. This plate has a central boss I32 through which a vertical guide bore I88 extends. This guide bore s'lideably receives 9. cylindrical lifter I34, the lower end of which is provided with a contact flange I35 and the upper end of which is provided with a lifter extension screw I36. The lifter I34 normally rests in its downward position shown in Fig. 4 in which the flange I35 engages bearing 18,

sage 8 formed therein which when the spring I to' the short arm 52* so that-the spring II4 pulls the Jar responsive arm 5| into broken line position as shown in Fig. 1 when no jar is opposite this am on the tracks 45. This closes the valve Fig. 2 is moved intoing guide rods Seated in the slideway I29 is a crosshead I88, the body of which extends above the upper face of the top wall I24 and which has a downward extending boss I39 on which is carried a cam responsive roller I48 which extends into the cam groove 18.

Provided on the upper face of the crosshead I38 is a pair of longitudinal grooves I4I which receive shanks I42 of cap feed fingers I43, said fingers resting slideably on the upper face of the plate I38. Thefinger shanks I42 are secured in placev on the crosshead as by fiathead screws I41. Secured downwardly onto the top wall I24 as by cap screws I49 are gib plates I58 and a cap plate I5I (see Fig. 6) The gib plates I50 slideably hold the crosshead I38 in the slideway I29 and thus complete the latter. It is now to be noted that the cap feeder I2 is mounted on the jar capper I8 so that the upper face I25 of the top wall I24 is disposed just a slight distance above the surface of the cap transfer disc I8 (see Figs. 4 and 5). IAS the upper face of the plate I38 is flush with the upper surface I25 of the top wall I24, the cap feed fingers I43 operate slideably above and in sliding contact with the surface I25.

Formed on the cam box 58 is a hinge lug I52 carrying a pin I53 on which is pivotally mounted a cap magazine I54. This magazine has a tubular body the lug I52 and are pivotally connected thereto by the pin I53. Secured to the upper end of the body I55 as by cap screws I51 is a collar I58 hav- I59 for holding a stack of caps 2| at an inclined angle for feeding these into the upper end of the body I55. Secured to th cam box top wall I24 by a screw IE5 is a spring latch I58 carrying a dog- I61 which is yieldably held over the collar I58 to retain the lower mouth of the magazine I54 flush against the upper surface I25 of the top wall I24 (see Figs. 8 and 9). The magazine body I55 has opposed vertical sight slots I88 and at right angles thereto is provided with shorter slots I59. Mounted on suitable bearings near the upper end of the body I55 are shafts I12, each shaft carrying a claw I13 and an arm I14 which are provided with bolts I15. Connecting the bolts I15 loosely is a link I18, this receiving (see I55 carrying hinge lugs I58 which straddle- I55 freely extends.

one-of the bolts I13 through a slot I11 and'having a central horizontal flange I18. This flange is disposed directly above the adjustable extension thereof. Pivotally mounted between lugs |8| disposed above each of the openings I88 is a stripper jaw I82 through which a bolt I83 fixed in the body This bolt holds a compression spring I84 adjustably against the Jaw I 82 to press this inwardly through the opening I88. Extending through the jaw I82 is a set screw I85 which engages the body I55 and adjustably determines the distance which the jaw I82 extends inwardly through the opening I88. The jaws I82 are pivoted on bolts I86 provided in the lugs I8! and these bolts are used to anchor the lower ends of contractile springs I81, the upper ends of which hook through openings in the flange I18 so that these springs continually urge the claws I13 inwardly through the holes I69 excepting when the pull of these springs is opposed by the lifter I34 lifting the link I16 (see Figs. 4, 5, 8, 9 and 10).

' The lower end of the magazine body I55 is cut away to form a passage I92 which is of the same width as the internal diameter of the magazine body I55. This passage extends parallel with the feed fingers I43 which are reciprocated through this passageway to eject caps therefrom as will e made clear hereinafter.

Hingedly mounted on the body I55 (see Fig. 4)

so as to overlie the transfer disc I8 and rest on the hub flange 26 thereof is a cap hold-down plate I93.

Operation As already stated, the cap feeder I2 is driven in timed relation with the jar capper I3 so as to feed caps 2| onto the cap transfer disc I8 so that a cap will be picked up by one of the capper heads I and applied to each of the jars 41 which are fed to the capper by the jar feeding device 44.

Before the jar capper is started, a stack of the caps 2| is placed in the cap magazine I54. When these caps are first inserted, the claws I13 are manually swung outwardly to permit the caps to gravitate, downwardly, until the lowermost of these engages the stripper jaws I82 adjacent the lower end of the magazine.

I81. These claws thus engage and support all of the stack of caps in the magazine excepting I4 rotates and the chain 48 propels jars 41 along the feeder 44 to the machine, each jar, as it passes the arm 5|, moves this into its full line position as shown in Fig. 1.' This results in the feeding of a cap by the cap feeder. I 2 to the jar capper I3.

The drive of the cap feeder I2 is such that the shaft 12, cam 13 and eccentric 9| make one revolution each time one of the pins I9 on the cap transfer disc I8 moves into position to engage a cap fed onto disc I8. The rotation of the cam 13 causes a reciprocation of the crosshead I38 so as to extend the cap feeder fingers I43 through The claws I13 are- .then released so that these are swung inwardly yieldably by the action of the contractile-springs the cap feeding passage I92 asshown in Fig. 4,

uum cup |8| which operates as follows: With each rotation of the eccentric 9| the cup plunger 86 reciprocates between its lowermost position, as

shown in Fig. 4, and its uppermost position, as

shown in Fig. 5. In its uppermost position the cup IOI is pressed against the fiat surface of the lowermost cap 2| in the magazine I54. If the arm 5| is at that moment engaged by a jar 41 on the jar feeding device 44 and swung outwardly into its full line position (shown in Fig. 1) this opens the valve III! (as shown in Fig. 2) and causes a vacuum to be imposed through the duct 84 and port 95 on the interior of the plunger 86 which, of course, creates a suction between the cup IUI and the cap 2| engaged thereby. When the plunger 86 returns downwardly (as shown in Fig. 9) this suction strips the lowermost cap downwardly past the stripper jaws I82 and into the path of the prongs I43. As this stripping action is completed, the cap is simultaneously engaged by the prongs I43 and the vacuum in the cup |0| is bro-ken by the port 95 coming opposite the vacuum release passage 85. The cap is thus released by the vacuum cup as it is thrust from the passage I92 by the prongs I43 into the position in which it is in Fig. 4, just in advance of an on-coming pin I9.

Each cap fed from the cap feeder I 2 is delivered to that particular capper head I5 beneath which the. jar feeding device 44 delivers the jar which engaged the arm 5| to cause this particular cap to be fed from the cap feeder. absent from in front of one of the chain lugs 49 of the feeding device 44 so that the arm 5| is not actuated as shown in Fig. 1 when this portion of the jar conveyor passes by this arm, the valve III] will remain closed as vacuum cup |8| is next pressed against the lowermost cap in the magazine I54. This will mean that no vacuum is formed in this cup at this time wherefore the lowermost cap will not be stripped downwardly when the cup returns downward and no cap will be fed onto the transfer disc I8 during this cycle of operation of the cap feeder I 2. i

The advantage of this mode of operation is that none of the capper heads l5 will have a cap fed thereto when no jar is delivered beneath this capper head .to be capped. Were a cap to be delivered to a capper head I5 and no jar presented to apply this cap to, the head would already'have a cap in it when it again rotated into position to receive a cap from the disc I8 and the two caps would simply be mashed together when the'head chuck I6 moved down to pick up the second cap.

While the claws I13 are spring pressed inwardly to support most of the caps stacked in the magae zine I54, these claws are released with each cycle of the cap feeder by the crank 98 engaging the to thus assuring a good suction between the cup Thus if a jar is ;7 and this cap for effecting the downward stripping of the latter as the cup returns downwardly.

While Fig. 5. does not show the spring I02 compressed by engagement of the vacuum cup It] with the lowermost cap it is to be understood that where the magazine contains a normal supply of caps, the weight of these imposed on the lowermost cap is sufllcient to cause a further compression of the spring I 02 as the plunger 86 moves upwardly. This prevents damage to the mechanism and assures a good suction contact between the cu HM and the lowermost cap'2 I.

. The crew I35 may be adjusted so as to delay the opening of the claws I13 so that when the cup I! is lifted. the group of caps 21 beneath the claws "3 are lifted into contact with the latter before these claws are swung outwardly, The claws I13 are thus caused to momentarily resist further upward movement of the cup Nil which results in the spring I02 being compressed and a good suction formed between the cap and cup.

I claim:

1. In a feeding device, the combination of: magazine means forholding a stack of flat articles; yieldable means for retaining said articles in said magazine means in stack form; vacuum cup means for separating an endmost article from said stack; and transverse feed means for engaging said article and shifting it parallel with the plane of said vacuum cup means and said stack.

2. In a feeding device the combination of 2, magazine means for holding a stack of flat articles one resting on top of the other; means for yieldably engaging a bottom-most article in said stack for supporting said stack of articles; vacuum cup means for separating the bottom-most article from said stack by pulling said article through said yieldable means; means for halting ,the travel of said bottom article with said cup means so that said article lies in a given plane; and means for causing said article to travel along a given transverse path from between said stack and said vacuum cup means.

ticles, one resting on top or another; means for yieldably engaging the bottom-most article in said stack for supporting said stack of articles; a vacuum cup; means for reciprocating said cup into contact with said bottom-most article and then away from said stack; means for extracting air from said cup when the latter contacts said bottom-most article to cause the latter to be pulled downwardly through said yieldable means when said cup moves away from said stack; means for feeding an article thus stripped from said stack transversely from between said cup and said stack; and control means rendering said evacuation means inoperative to remove said bottom-most article from said stack when it is desired to skip the feeding of an article during a given reciprocation of said cup.

4. In a feeding device, the combination of:

magazine means for holding a stack of flat ar-- ticles, one resting on top of another; means for yieldably engaging a bottom-most article in said stack for supporting a bottom group of the articles in said stack; means for releasably supporting a reserve group of articles in said magazine means just above said bottom group; means for removing the bottom-most article from said stack by pulling it axially of the stack downwardly through said yieldable means; and means operable in timed relation with said article removing means to cause said releasable means to release a supplyof caps from said reserve group to permit these to gravitate downwardly and join said bottom-most group of articles and then cause said releasable means to'again support the balance of said reserve group.

1 FRANK W. KRUEGER.

- REFERENCES crran The following references are, of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

